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0 pointsutku_karatas210y ago0 comments

Hate to dwell on topics not suited on HN, but I'll just ask you one thing: how would the French troops on the Syrian ground even remotely help securing France?

USA can pull off its invasive politics via a) pouring insane amount of resources both militarily and politically b) by getting along pretty good with other Muslims while bombing some (like Saudis, Turks, etc.) c) by being an ocean distance away from the very people they drop bombs on.

How will France do all of that with a) much more limited resources b) while being uniformly disliked by almost all Muslim nations due to historical reasons and c) while being a boat ride away from tens of millions of agitated Muslims?

I believe, with this attack, France is pulled into this already extremely messy situation by the powers that be. And I am afraid things will escalate to a much worse situation.

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6 comments · 2 top-level

cmdkeen10y ago· 4 in thread

The Islamic State are different from AQ in that they have territorial ambitions, the clue is in the name. Their PR success is buoyed by their successes. France has the expeditionary capability to assist in driving the IS out of the territory it currently occupies.

If France doesn't care about who takes control of the territory afterwards, as long as they aren't terrorist supporting Islamists then it does have the capacity to seriously damage IS. Will it lead to world peace and happiness, no. Will it lead to an awful lot of Syrians continuing to die, yes. Will it marginally improve the lives of those suffering under IS rule, I believe so. Will it degrade IS' ability to recruit and inspire terror attacks abroad in the long run, yes.

Given a lot of poor choices you need to find the best one. Doing nothing is a conscious choice that may not be the best option.

sangnoir10y ago

I think the west needs to think long and hard about nation-building, not just fighting wars. They also need to have frank discussions with their nominal 'allies' in the ME who are driving a lot of the instability.

I have no doubts France has the capability to "seriously damage" Daesh, but what about Daesh's successor - which is likely to be just as bad (or worse)? Unfortunately, it seems like democracy (with it's 4-/5-year election cycles) is incompatible with long term planning. It's a mirror-image of the modern-day corporate world, with CxOs who damage the organisations they lead in the pursuit of short-term gains (and the resulting bonuses), except that election stakes are higher (keep/lose the job).

cmdkeen10y ago

IS' successor would not be a territory holding aspirant state, it would have to be more like AQ - which we have already significantly degraded.

Now there is the interesting concept of the rise of the "lone wolf" or individual cells that don't really have central co-ordination. Would Western intervention in Syria cause more of them? Would their rise be countered by reducing or removing the ability of IS to generate attacks? There's a debate to be had.

utku_karatas2OP10y ago

I am afraid the answer to all of those questions is NOPE. ISIS did grow and will continue to grow as long as there is foreign military existence on Middle-east soil. It is extremely easy to recruit people to do anything while their national/religious pride is being pissed on by their historical enemy.

cmdkeen10y ago

IS grew out of the vacuum of a civil war in Syria and is predicated on creating a Caliphate. They cannot physically grow if they are not able to gain ground. Their recruitment message is likely to be significantly weakened if they lose territory and battles. Unlike AQ or even the Taliban of recent years they are not able to avoid pitched battles, they can't melt into the background - they would have to stand and fight for their territory - thus they can be defeated.

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tellarin10y ago

In some sense, France already does this type of thing in Africa. Most recently in Mali.

Not sure in which way Syria would be significantly different.

Also, Russia is being pulled even more into Syria. So a truly international force may materialise at some point. Not that I'm advocating that's a good thing.

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6 comments · 2 top-level

cmdkeen10y ago· 4 in thread

Given a lot of poor choices you need to find the best one. Doing nothing is a conscious choice that may not be the best option.

sangnoir10y ago

cmdkeen10y ago

IS' successor would not be a territory holding aspirant state, it would have to be more like AQ - which we have already significantly degraded.

utku_karatas2OP10y ago

cmdkeen10y ago

1 more reply

tellarin10y ago

In some sense, France already does this type of thing in Africa. Most recently in Mali.

Not sure in which way Syria would be significantly different.

Also, Russia is being pulled even more into Syria. So a truly international force may materialise at some point. Not that I'm advocating that's a good thing.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse